Washington whitewater, Skate Creek

The starting location is a short drive from Hood River, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. If you've been out of state whitewater rafting and kayaking you might find the rivers here more demanding, so if you're visiting here do keep in mind that lots of rivers here are not for beginners. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, but do book a

room before you come because it is a very popular destination. The beauty of the Northern Cascade Range is a great plus for this river. The nature scenery of Lewis County and the cool fresh water beats anything. There's

camping available near Skate Creek. The Johnson Creek to Craig Road section of Skate Creek in Washington is 3.1 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class III+ section. Great exercise and just being out on the river for a while will make you glad you came. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this area has a large number of paddling spots. There are some good sections to paddle in this river system, the Johnson Creek

to Craig Road section is one of them. This section is quite short so you'd better be prepared to walk your kayak back to put-in a few times.

Briefly about the general area: Go for a hike on the Willame Trail;
if you're popping by from Packwood, you won't be the only one. Man, is there plenty of amusing stuff to do in the Northern Cascade Range. Good hiking is available along the Davis Mountain Trail. Skate Creek gets a lot of
water. The month of January is the wettest with most of the snow; the driest of the months is July. For the duration of the warm months here at Skate Creek, high temperatures frequently reach the 70's, and during the night it cools down to the 40's.